8 Comments

It depends on the word order. The sentence would have to start with the шкаф to use 'the' - the wardrobe has been mentioned before and now it's saying where it is. In the given sentence, it's describing what stands by the wall - a wardrobe. This is the first time the existence of this wardrobe gets mentioned, hence 'a' not 'the.

I think "there is a heavy wardrobe against the wall" should be accepted. "There is a heavy wardrobe at the wall" isn't natural to say although it's understood what the speaker means. We talk about things being "against the wall", not "at the wall".